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OUR MANDALAY

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OUR MANDALAY   Mandalay is located 716 km North of Yangon. It was the royal capital of the last two kings of Myanmar, and is the cultural and religious centre of Buddhism. The city is also famous for its traditional crafts. Mandalay has a tropical wet and dry climate. The Mandalay streets are laid out in a grid system, and are numbered east to west (up to 49th) and north to south (over 50th).Addresses show the block where the building is located by giving the main street which it is on and the streets which is between: for example, 56th (between 19th and 20th Street). There are Six Townships, namely Aung Myae Thar San, Chan Aye Thar San, Mahar Aung Myay, Chan Mya Thar Si, Pyi Gyi Tagon and Amarapura. Moreover, Mandalay is well known for its pagodas and historical buildings; Maha Muni Pagoda, Maha Thatkya Thiha Pagoda, Shwe Kyee Myin Pagoda, Sanda Muni Pagoda, Kutho Daw, Atu Mashi Monastery, Golden Palace Monastery, Mandalay Hill, Yankin Hill and U Bein Bridge. The heart of the city...

THE ROYAL PALACE IN MANDALAY

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  The year was 1885 and the last Burmese king was standing strong. The British forces were marching into Mandalay with very little opposition. Their plan to take over the country was succeeding- but capturing the Royal Palace of Mandalay in the centre of the city, was going to be an important symbolic victory. As it turned out, overtaking the palace- and King ThibawMin- was even easier than predicted. The British demanded unconditional surrender and that’s what they got.The King and Queen were put on a bullock cart and taken down to the river to be sent into exile in India. The story goes that when the British soldiers pulled out their guns, the King dropped down to his knees and begged for his life to be spared. His queen, however, walked on her own defiantly towards the steamer on the mighty Irrawaddy. After the British invasion, the palace was used by the colonialists as a base for troops in Mandalay and many of the royal treasures were looted and sent back to London ( many are ...

CHINLONE (BURMESE CANEBALL)

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  Chinlone, which is also known as caneball, is the traditional sport of Burma or Myanmar. Chinlone is a team sport which is a combination of sport and dance. Chinlone is more on creativity and not competitiveness. Chinlone in Burmese means basket-round or rounded basket. The ball is made from rattan. The game is played by two teams with six players each. They pass the ball back and forth using their feet, knees, and their heads as they walk around a circle. While the rest pass the ball around, a player goes into the middle alone, and the player creates a dance of different moves strung together. If they drop the ball to the ground, the play should start again. This game is usually played barefoot or using chinlone shoes that will let the players feel the ball and the ground. The players can make contact with the ball through the top of their toes, the inner and outer sides of the foot, the heel, the sole, and the knee. The sport requires extreme flexibility, agility and fitness as...

Myanmar Traditional Chinlone

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  Chinlone (Burmese: ခြင်းလုံး, pronounced [hkrang:lum:]), also known as caneball, is the traditional, national sport of Myanmar (Burma). It is non-competitive, with typically six people playing together as one team. The ball used is normally made from handwoven rattan, which sounds like a basket when hit. Similar to the game of hacky-sack, chinlone is played by individuals passing the ball among each other within a circle without using their hands. However, in chinlone, the players are walking while passing the ball, with one player in the center of the circle. The point of the game is to keep the ball from hitting the ground while passing it back and forth as creatively as possible. The sport of chinlone is played by men, women and children, often together, interchangeably. Although very fast, chinlone is meant to be entertaining and fluid, as if it were more of a performance or dance. History Chinlone has played a prominent role in Myanmar for about 1,500 years. Its style is per...

Chinlone (Cane Ball)

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  Chinlone (Cane Ball) is a team sport from Myanmar which is more than 1500 years old. With elements from both Arts and Sports it has evolved an epic array of movement styles and techniques. Today, it is played all over Myanmar featuring the most legendary players. Its core principle: non-competitive teamwork: A peaceful but powerful philosophical message. JOIN THE CIRCLE!!! Quotes from our Master Teacher: U Maung Maung (War Tha Nar Lulin, Mandalay) „Chinlone resembles many different arts: The body movement is like dancing, while the footwork is almost like martial arts.“ „In Chinlone the objectives are different, than in other sports. Other sports use aggression to compete against an opposing team and earn points. (…) While our focus is on passing the ball in as much style as possible. I think that mindset makes this sport unique“ „No matter how stressed we are from life or from work, when we play Chinlone, they all dissappear. However frustrated and angry we might be feeling pers...